Being FAT is the new normal! Yep really! If normal is the majority then if you are not overweight you are abnormal!

Someone told me I should be really pleased, as it would mean I’d have even more people to work with!

Hmmm….not so sure about that as I really want people to be healthy and active! My goal is to get clients to where they don’t need me! They can eat healthily, keep the weight off and know the exercises they need to do to stay strong and fit! Some people (including me) prefer to work in groups as this is where they get the best motivation and why I am running The Fitness & Weightloss Playground.

So what did this report say? Well here are just some of the most shocking bits....

1. Nearly two-thirds of the UK population is either overweight or obese.

Fat, not thin, is today's norm.

2. An unfair fight!

The government spends £14m a year on its anti-obesity social marketing programme Change4Life. The food industry spends more than £1bn a year on marketing in the UK.

3. Obesity could bankrupt the NHS

The NHS spends £5bn a year on diseases such as strokes and diabetes that are linked to obesity and is predicted to climb to £15bn.

4. Snacking is "a newly created behaviour"

It was virtually unknown before the 2nd World War, according to Barry Popkin, professor of nutrition at the University of North Carolina.

5. Hunger is in the mind.

Dr Suzanne Higgs at Birmingham University carried out a remarkable experiment to prove it. Her team gave a group of amnesiacs a lunch of sandwiches and cakes. When everybody had finished eating, they cleared away and brought in a fresh lunch 10 minutes later. A control group of people with no memory problems groaned and refused any more food. The others….. you can probably guess....

It's all pretty shocking stuff isn't it? :-(

So how do you make sure you don’t become ‘normal’ – you don’t want to be normal do you? ;-)

You know your stuff! You’re smart! You know that losing weight is 90% what you eat so you don’t need to be running marathons or spending hours in the gym. It is usually just a matter of a few small changes!

The food industry is clever, very clever – don’t fall for their tricks! Don’t trust their labeling! Be aware of what and when you eat and if it helps keep a food diary to track what you eat and drink. Don't fall for the latest fad, eat fresh, whole, one ingredient foods.

From next week I’ll start to cover some food labeling and what to look out for in your food with a series of ‘What’s in it Wednesdays’ - keep an eye on your inbox next week!

In the meantime I’ll send the first 5 people to respond a food diary and a free food & drink diary analysis – just reply and say yes please I don’t want to be normal!